Wataru Tanaka

By Wataru Tanaka Even Japanese travelers hesitate the first time they board a bus in an unfamiliar region — I do too. That’s because the rules belong to each bus operator, not to Japan as a whole: the routine you learned in Tokyo can quietly stop working one prefecture over. This guide puts the whole […]

By Wataru Tanaka The Japan Rail Pass used to be something you bought on autopilot; the October 2023 price revision ended that era, and at ¥50,000 for seven days the pass now splits travelers into two clear groups — people who should buy one, and people who shouldn’t. From October 2026, where you buy becomes

By Wataru Tanaka The Shinkansen network does not reach Tottori or Shimane — which means that in this corner of Japan, “how do I get there” isn’t a detail you sort out last. It is the itinerary. From Tokyo you have three options plus one (flights into three different airports, a Shinkansen-plus-express combination, the Sunrise